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Why Tablets Are Awesome

Alliance Sales & Marketing Solutions takes a look at the benefits and advantages of tablet computers. This article gives you ten reasons why you need a tablet in your life. If you don’t own a tablet it is probably because you are yet to discover the added value tablets bring to every day life. Whether for business use, or just plain entertainment during your down time, the benefits and advantages of tablets streamline your day to day activities.

“Tablets are the present days representation of the pasts inconceivable future, which makes tablets super cool”

Ten reasons why you need a tablet in you life

Sharing photos on tablets is not only easy but also fun. The interactive nature of displaying photos on tablets makes the whole experience much more dynamic and enjoyable. This particular benefit of tablets crosses over to presentation and more precisely the people who depend on presentations to sell products. Timeshare, real estate and other mobile sales personnel should all be capitalizing on the benefits and advantages of tablets. Tablets represent an interactive mobile platform from which to instantly present your product to your target audience.

E-readers love the benefits and advantages of tablets.Large high resolutions screens makes tablets great e-readers. The ability to store multiple books, download PDFs and a bright full colour display is yet another reason why you need a tablet in your life.

Another advantage of tablets are the travel benefits that they provide. Whipping out a tablet at the airport or bus station to check your ticket or travel itinerary is substantially easier than firing up a lap top. Tablets are much lighter and also take up considerably less space than most laptops. They are compatible with Wi-Fi and 3G networks which makes accessing the internet possible almost anywhere.

Tablets are like a digital Swiss army knife which basically means their possibilities are endless. You can check your Gmail or Facebook accounts, breeze through your calender or use a calculator to convert currency on a big full colour screen whilst sitting in a cafe.

For basic digital activities tablets are superior to most laptops in terms of sheer convenience and mobility. Unless you need to do a lot of typing, a tablet is a great versatile substitute for a laptop.

Tablets do not freeze or crash that often. Especially compared to most laptops or PCs. Even in the off chance that they did freeze or crash, simply restarting them is enough to get the ball rolling again.

A Tablet is cheaper than a notebook or new laptop.

Tablets are great for presentations and sharing photos, which also makes them great versatile tools for meetings. Not only do tablets allow you to present relative information quickly during a meeting, but also record and take notess.

In terms of convenience and practicality, its hard to match tablets when its comes to watching movies. If you feel like watching “Fight club” by the swimming pool, or keeping the kids quiet during a road trip with “Surfs up” then the tablet is your weapon of choice for entertainment. Tablets have a large amount of storage space which allows for multiple movies and thousands of songs to be stored on your convenient little entertainment device.

Tablets are super cool. Imagine 15 years ago if somebody told you that one day you would be able to watch movies on something the size of a note pad. That this futuristic device would have a high resolution screen that was activated by touch and that you would be able to access something called the “Internet” from practically anywhere. That you could store thousands of photos and listen to and endless list of music without having to carry around 20 kg worth of CD’s. You would have probably laughed them out of your house and continued rewinding the movie “Highlander” on your videocassette record. Tablets are the present days representation of the pasts inconceivable future, which makes tablets super cool.

If you were previously on the fence on the subject… then perhaps after reading about the ten benefits and advantages of tablets, you have a better idea of their real-life value, and why you need a tablet in your life. Further related articles of interest from the Alliances That Work press release sections include “iPad versus Android” and many others.

On-premise VS Cloud Data Storage

Alliance Sales & Marketing Solutions look at the on-premise vs cloud computing privacy and information ownership debate. Thiss is a hot topic among those who oppose cloud computing and others who remain hesitant to switch from on-premise computing to the cloud. The root cause of opposition stems from the very nature of cloud computing and more specifically the intimate nature of SaaS (Software as a Service). SaaS vendors supply a service which requires a close relationship between consumer and host or rather customer and vendor.

The SaaS vendor has the ability to log and review every action that their customers make while interacting on the vendors software platform. Each time a customer accesses an account, every key stroke, mouse click, digital finger print and duration of use can be logged and monitored. This aspect of digital surveillance from a source outside of your immediate business circle represents the vast gulf between those who adopt cloud computing and those who shun the new era in favour of traditional on-premise computing.

“Technological development specifically in the case of online consumer services, produce a by-product, and this by-product is the surrender of privacy in the form of personal information. The more personal information a consumer surrenders the more vendors can create consumer specific products, which is ultimately what we all want… a product that we actually want.” Heather Guffin

There is considerable concern within E-business and IT circles regarding the ownership of data. Seeing as businesses that have crossed over the river from on-premise to cloud computing store their data via a third party platform, the debate as to who owns ownership rights has flared up forcing vendors to take action.

Cloud Data Privacy Issue

Cloud vendors such as Amazon are eliminating consumer concerns over data ownership by introducing clearly defined language into their user contracts; “Your Applications, Data and Content. Other than the rights and interests expressly set forth in this Agreement, and excluding Amazon Properties and works derived from Amazon Properties, you reserve all right, title and interest (including all intellectual property and proprietary rights) in and to Your Content.” The idea that a higher power is tracking your every move seems to be an unsettling notion. The truth is that this is not exactly the case with cloud computing and even if it were, it would be nothing new.

“On the other hand it provides an excellent opportunity for CRM development since every data update can be recorded and the information made available to other relevant with the same business connection. Allowing a richer stream of real time data flowing between the concerned users” Heather Guffin

Volunteering Personal Information Daily

For years, billions of people have been entrusting banks to safe guard their life savings by extending banking entities certain privileges in order to grant them the flexibility and necessary tools to more effectively do so. As financial enterprises need to share customer personal information in order to run their everyday business logistics. Over the years we have relinquished are formed grip on privacy to allow financial entities such as banks the ability to record, access and share our personal and financial information. Such data includes, Social Security number, employment information, account balances, assets and investment experience, transaction history and credit information.

Over 1.5 billion users openly permit a popular social media site, to store and publicly display personal information such as name, age, date of birth, place of birth, current city, hobbies, martial status, place of work, telephone number, E-mail address, names and locations of friends and family members and also personal photos. The same site is also permitted to track and display the IP location of the user and record every location that they have visited while highlighting and promoting every action that user makes while accessing their cloud.

Swiss Cloud

Cloud computing is developing rapidly especially in terms of CRM and responding to the needs of current consumers and breaking down potential barriers effecting consumer cross over from on-premise computing to cloud. Just how financial entities such as those in Luxembourg, Lebanon, Singapore and most famously of all Switzerland generated methods to maintain the anonymity and privacy of their clients so to have cloud vendors. Vendors are now starting to see the benefit of operating SaaS set-ups under a Swiss bank premise, and the added appeal and new client generation that such an logic attracts.

The “Swiss Cloud” vendors are the only vendors in their sectors that do not have access to customer data. By operating on a cookie-less architecture and implementing patent pending encryption technology, ensures that nobody not even vendor employees can access any customer data. The customer has sole ownership of the encryption key which radically reduces the chance of system breach.

On-Premise versus Cloud Privacy

The gulf between on-premise and cloud computing is rapidly shrinking as cloud computing continues to evolve and cloud vendors relentlessly crash through barriers that prevent mass adoption. As vendors continue to implement the use of cookie-less architecture and encryption technology to place a firm separation between client information and the vendor itself, the appeal of cloud computing will carry on its experiential auspicious growth. by product of technology

Benefits of Cloud Computing

Hidden Benefits

In this article Alliances That Work – Alliance Sales & Marketing Solutions explore the hidden advantages of cloud computing solutions and how they benefits sales and marketing businesses. After three years of main stream attention, cloud computing is finally receiving recognition as a technological express train, to take your business to the next level fast. The advantages of switching from traditional on-premise computing systems to cloud computing such as cost and expenditure reduction, secure storage and management, elasticity, scalability and automation have been well documented. It is because of these compelling factors that so many main stream businesses have crossed over to the cloud. But the cloud computing rabbit hole runs much deeper than just the marketed benefits that cloud advertisers have been promoting. Making the switch to the cloud has other unforeseen advantages that one could argue rival their highly promoted counter-parts in terms of functionality.

Digital Pangaea

Companies operating on cloud systems are collectively travelling across the same technological topography so to speak, which means more streamlined mergers. Mergers are not famed for their smooth transitions, the facilitation period for most mergers will span over a number of months and for others the process could take years. The relevant technical difficulties and obstacles are experienced equally across the entire spectrum; even government agencies have problems and many agencies have implemented entire IT teams to manually coding information from one system to another system.

The digital Pangaea offered by cloud computing allows companies to merge without the immense time investments and mass allocations of personnel that are necessary during inter-company consolidation between two businesses operating on an on-premise computer system. Companies operating through cloud systems already share the same platform, therefore the sharing and accessing of information can be instantaneous, there is no need for arduous time consuming manual cross over procedures.

Flexibility to applications allows businesses to constantly trial products and tweak applications in a low-risk environment through eliminating the need of investing heavily in support systems. Trialling applications in a low-risk environment present an opportunity for continuous experimentation in low-pressure situations, which therefore grant businesses the opportunity to promote creativity and innovate.

Green Cloud

An understated and often over-looked benefit of cloud computer is the environment factor. Cloud computing is a surprisingly green solution that aids its users in reducing their businesses carbon foot print. In the lieu of recent studies on the environmental impact of cloud computing, every business that has crossed over to the cloud can consider themselves an ally of the environment. Studies have presented evidence that enterprises can cut their C02 emissions by as much as 30,000 metric tons, over a five year period by transferring their HR application to a public cloud. This is the equivalent of removing 6000 automobiles off of the highway. Cloud computing presents a huge opportunity for energy saving, from both direct power expenses and indirect measures.

“The viability of technological innovations are and will always be limited by the constraints of finite resources. Green solutions represent the only real long term answer in term of sustainability” Heather Guffin, President and C.E.O. of Alliances That Work – Alliance Sales & Marketing Solutions

The benefit of Data Sharing Centres is that they require fewer machines to achieve the equivalent output as in-house set-ups. Eliminating the necessity of in-house servers means no need for manufacturing and shipping of infrastructure and its associated costs. For a large number of rack servers to perform at optimal level, their environment has to be meticulously monitored and regulated to ensure that conditions are conducive to allow peak performance. Seeing as SDC´s (shared data centres) consolidate the overall cost of climate control, transferring an on premise infrastructure set-up to a SDC not only reduces your costs but is a green solution that makes your business more environmentally friendly.

The nature of storage and server infrastructure utilized by SDC´s or Large Data Centres, and the sheer energy demand, forces SDC´s to constantly advance and upgrade their infrastructure in order to streamline their operation. Shared Data Centres can tap resources that allow them to upgrade energy-saving equipment and building systems, whereas small businesses lack the resources to do so. Resource pooling facilities reduce energy consumption, lower carbon emissions and reduce capital expenditure on IT resources and ultimately streamline the power and storage component of your business.

Digital Waste

Cloud computing does have its own dark cloud looming over its glowing appeal, in the form of digital waste. Just like most processes, cloud computing is not exempt from generating by-products or in this case digital waste. The sheer volume of active data passing through a cloud platform everyday requires a large amount of highly competent servers to support the necessary data flow, processing and required service. The large servers themselves also, need to be maintained in an environment which extracts humidity while cooling the servers to prevent overheating.

“The accumulation of digital waste has radically increased over the last few years as storage of information such as E-mails, photos and video files have translocated to the online realm.” Heather Guffin, President and C.E.O. of Alliances That Work – Alliance Sales & MarketingSolutions

Not only is there a vast amount of active data passing through the cloud but also inactive, obsolete information which is no longer used. Vast amounts of digital waste can accumulate quickly in large businesses and pose long term problems for SDC´s. The digital waste also requires server usage, which in turn requires server power and the conditions that maximize server performance and the mechanisms that regulate those conditions. As cloud computing evolves so too will its protocols for identifying and disposing of digital waste and therefore reducing the impact of your digital footprint.

“The responsibility ultimately falls upon our shoulders. How many pages of read E-mails sit un-used in your Gmail account? how many photos and video files are scattered over your timeline on Facebook? We are all guilty of e-hording and if we were to re-trace our online steps back through our digital timeline it would be a path littered with e-waste” Heather Guffin, President and C.E.O. of Alliances That Work – Alliance Sales & Marketing Solutions

Reversing Disaster

Numerous businesses utilizing on-premise computing set-ups have experience some kind of technical bullet burn or in some instances a full on technological disaster. System recovery is a digital nightmare for any business unfortunate enough to experience such a digital disaster

Businesses operating an on-premise computer system have to invest in mass data loss prevention protocols, system recovery fail-safes and other pre-emptive measures to help protect their grid. Traditional backup solutions are expensive and require hefty time investments of personnel and IT resources.

In-house redundancy protocols require duplications of servers and hardware and also a high bandwidth connection to off-site data centres for replication. Such solutions present numerous obstacles during the implementation process including, automation difficulties and addition infrastructure, operational and administrative expenses.

An additional advantage of utilizing cloud computing is the seamless system replication, recovery and digital disaster fail safe solutions provide by the cloud. The immense compatibility of cloud computing allows on-premise resources to be quickly and safely backed-up without adverse complications.

“Mass data loss through a full on system crash represents the type of digital Chernobyl that can truly decimate a business. The cloud solution is an economically healthy method to mitigate the potential consequences of digital melt down through data-mitosis; basically it’s a cheap way to back up your information” Heather Guffin, President and C.E.O. of Alliances ThatWork – Alliance Sales & Marketing Solutions

Through cloud solutions it is possible to radically scale down and effectively manage the digital fall out of system crashes, data loss and other technological disasters. Businesses are no longer obligated to spend large amounts of money on duplicate servers and other pre-emptive digital meltdown containment costs.

Further reading on cloud computing by Alliances That Work – Alliance Sales & Marketing Solutions,

Adopting a Cloud

“The mass adoption of cloud computing by main-stream companies has dampened uncertainty, but the majority of critics still hold their anti-cloud stance” Heather Guffin of Alliance Sales & Marketing Solutions

Cloud computing has steadily been growing in popularity and acceptance, mainly due to its incorporation by major companies such as Amazon, Netflix and Google. Alliance Sales & Marketing Solutions investigate the black and white view on cloud computing. Main-stream companies are boosting the appeal of the cloud not only through investing heavily in marketing campaigns to highlight its user-friendly nature, vast benefits and functionality but, also through leading by example. Numerous high-profile consumer-orientated companies have transferred their IT resources and operations from traditional computing models to cloud computing platforms, therefore legitimizing the so called “hype” and authenticating the effectiveness of cloud platforms and related products.

Horizon Full of Clouds

Despite the fact that millions of people are obliviously using cloud computing daily, there are many who still perceive the cloud negatively. The negative perception towards the cloud is fueled by a lack of understanding and a factor of uncertainty in security and fears of interchangeability complications, vendor lock-in and the potential target presented by accumulative data storage for cyber vandals and hackers. There are still those in the IT realm that when believe that total control of hardware, software and storage is paramount to security and the only way to operate. Cloud host vendors are faced with a somewhat monumental task of converting IT cloud naysayers to pro-cloud consumers.

Near enough every business wants to know that their sensitive data is safe and secure. Most C.E.O.s prefer to keep profitable and sensitive data on a personal computer or secure hard drive. This approach is a static form of data protection and is in fact less secure than a cloud facility. Cloud data centers bounce information from one location to another via encrypted forms of communication utilizing command security teams, fail-safe protocols for backup protection and power surge events and advanced analytic s and heavy-duty monitoring packages. This formidable array of advanced tools is what makes the cloud safer than most office and business facilities. Due to this advanced level of security more and more main stream businesses are switching over to the cloud.

“Cloud isn’t an over-hyped marketing buzz-word, instead it is quite simply a “paradise of infinite storage and possibility” for the countless businesses that are in demand for such” Heather Guffin President and C.E.O. of Alliances That Work

Crossing The River

Many businesses and clients are labouring under the illusion that making the switch to the Cloud will inevitably disrupt their business. On the contrary, what makes cloud computing so appealing is that the transitional period from traditional computing to the cloud is relatively quick and easy. In fact jumping over to the cloud will save your business from future disruptions by stabilizing your system operations through eliminating maintenance disruptions via automatic upgrades and systematic updates and hardware replacement.

We are inherently creatures of routine, we enjoy the daily cycles of repetition that give us a sense of security and safety, and with that being said many businesses are simply afraid of change, afraid to cross over the river. Many businesses would rather be forced to change than willingly make the decision. So for the time being countless companies will continue to forego the benefits in security, cost reductions, scalability, performance and functionality that cloud computing represents until the market place has developed to such a point where traditional computing systems are effectively incompatible models to generate profit in a highly evolved market place.

Conclusion

In conclusion, although there are numerous business leaders that will label cloud as an over-hyped marketing buzz word, major businesses such as Google, Amazon, Netflix and Microsoft have willingly entered into the cloud. Foregoing the available tools and benefits presented by cloud platforms and its related computing applications is not just detrimentally limiting the functionality of your business but your business itself.

“Cloud computing is the future of business, you may not like it, but then again you may not like flying either but, it is still the most efficient method of going from A to B and that’s why you do it” says Heather Guffin President and C.E.O. of Alliance Sales & Marketing Solutions.

Opposition towards cloud computing could be compared to opposing the banking system and opting to keep your life savings at home or at the office, rather than enjoy the benefits of high-level security, worldwide access and insurance. Opposition towards the cloud does not represent a permanent barrier, in fact a huge majority of people who oppose cloud computing already knowingly or unknowingly enjoy the benefits of high-level security and world wide access via their daily interactions with Gmail and Facebook. The bottom line is that the “Cloud” debate doesn’t have to be black or white.

“You don´t have to completely let go of one branch of computing before you have a firm grip on the next branch. You can transfer your business operation into the cloud and still maintain a minimal presence of on premise IT resources for your own piece of mind”

Cloud Computing Basics

Since its birth way back in 1993 the internet has morphed from a non-user-friendly novelty to a vastly complex, easily accessible and highly interactive everyday necessity. From dial up connections to Wi-Fi, the internet has consistently made giant leaps in improvement, and cloud computing is not an over-hyped marketing tool but simply the latest stage in the continued development of the Internet.

Walking in the Clouds

Cloud computing isn’t a new concept it is just at its latest and most advanced stage of development. Cloud computing has been around since the mid-90s and was commonly referred to as “on-demand infrastructure”. During 1995, it was revamped to “Shared Web Hosting” and had limited features such as multi-tenant, automated provisioning, easy-to-use interface. It was not until the early 2000s when automated computing became closer to what is known as “cloud” today. It came in the form of Grid Utility Computing and had full infrastructure demand and multi-tenant, partial resource size flexibility and automated provisioning. After many years of re-branding, what was once “on-demand infrastructure” is simply referred to as cloud computing. After successfully crossing the chasm of acceptance, cloud computing now represents the next step in the evolution of the internet and business.

Cloud computing grants everyday users the ability store and access their information and data somewhere other than their PC or Mac. Cloud computing is a one-stop-shop for its users, through its unique and highly appealing ability of supplying access to software, hardware and infrastructure such as applications, storage devices and servers.

“Millions of people including everyday users and businesses are accessing and utilizing cloud services daily, utterly oblivious to the fact that they are partaking in a cloud computing experience” says Heather Guffin President and C.E.O. of Alliance Sales & Marketing Solutions.

The Cloud Platform and Hosting

Every time you access your Gmail account, watch a video on YouTube, update your Blog or post a photo of yourself on Facebook you are using a cloud. Cloud computing is basically the delivery of hosted services over the Internet. The service end is where the data or software is stored and the user end is a single person or company network. Cloud hosting can be broken down more or less into three distinct sections.

SaaS (Software as a Service)

Software as a Service is usually free or pay-as-you-go, fast and easy to deploy, managed by the vendor and available for either short or long term use. SaaS represents the every-day-applications that millions of people use on a daily basis. SaaS applications are developed and built especially for the Internet.

PaaS (Platform as a Service)

Platform as a Service represents and hosts the operating environment in which applications run. You can deliver services broadly without having to manage the infrastructure. PaaS allows you to create and build your own cloud, provides scalable test environments and is generally managed by the vendor while allowing you the control to manage your applications.

IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service)

Infrastructure as a Service provides a flexible computing capacity that you rent when you need it. Instead of owning and running your facility, servers, and network, get pay-as-you-go data center capacity for adding CPUs, storage, networking, or web hosting and rapid and dramatic scalability and geographically distributed servers for increased security

Cloud computing is comprised of four unique characteristics, scalability or rather the ability to scale up or down depending upon needs, pay-as-you-go models allowing the user the freedom to pay for the services they actually use, self-service provisioning including automatic system and application updates and upgrades and application programming interfaces (API).

What cloud computing represents for the business user, is an indispensable tool to reduce business operating costs and increase open access to their office resources while promoting the functionality of their business when mobile. “The “everything under one roof” nature of cloud computing is one of its most appealing assets and reasons why so many businesses are switching to the cloud” Heather Guffin President and C.E.O. of Alliance Sales & Marketing Solutions.

Mainstream Adoption of Cloud Computing

Its not just the every-day-users of the internet who are reaping the benefits of cloud computing but businesses have also adopted the notion of a cloud office. Main stream companies such as Amazon and Google have already made the switch, by transferring a substantial amount of their IT resources to the cloud. Both Google and Amazon enjoy the flexibility and constraint alleviation such as the reductions in cost, power, space and time associated with the cloud computing model. Microsoft has also launched its own open and flexible cloud platform with Windows Azure.

“The mass exodus from traditional computing models and the widespread adoption of cloud based computing, by so many mainstream companies is further evidence that web enabled cloud platforms are the future of big business” Heather Guffin President and C.E.O. Alliance Sales & Marketing Solutions

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Alliances That Work create cloud computing solutions for business and marketing companies of the timeshare industry. All products and solutions have been designed to prioritize sales execution and expand the marketing capabilities and resources of the user. Alliance Sales & Marketing Solutions deliver multi functional tools that work quickly to increase revenue and streamline the clients business.
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Alliance Sales & Marketing Solutions designed Alliance iTeam to maximize the efficiency of your sales drive, build your brand and grow your business.
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